Thursday, December 1, 2011

Future Sight - Chapter 23

This being in front of them must be the enemy right? It's clear to Radha that it isn't a reflection of any of her, Venser, or Jeska. However Jeska is paralyzed.

She can't handle this moment. Radha is wrong. The thing is her. The thing is everything.

Radha says that's ridiculous, she knows that what's in front of them is not her. She's been inside Jeska's mind.

"So have I," Venser said. "Maybe not as completely, but we have shared of ourselves. I look at you and I see Karn's partner. I look at her and I see mindless primal magic. You can do this, Jeska." He moved closer. "We can do this. Take my hand. Whatever happens to you happens to me. I could not help Karn, but I swear I will help you. Wherever you go, whatever you become when this is over, I will find you. I will bring you back." He extended his hand.

Radha nods at Venser and extends her own. Jeska is amazed at their sincerity. That these simple mortals are willing to throw away their lives on the chance that maybe they can pull out even half a victory. She takes their hands and feels their power surge through her.

All doubts melt away.

This time instead of drawing the rift... the image of Karnoa... into Rahda, Jeska takes the lead and dives into the force. She can still feel their hands hold on to hers even after their bodies disappear and they all become pure magical energy. All at once they become each other, and become every version of Jeska herself. All her life she was always defined by others. By her brother, by Phage, by Karona. All her life she has always been directed in what to do, even as an apprentice as Karn. She realizes this is it. This is her final moment, and she needs to decide her fate for herself.

Jeska says good-bye to Radha and Venser and sends them out of the rift. She still feels their power with her and knows this is the right thing. She slams into the vision of Karona and feels the familiar sense of becoming everything. She spreads herself out through the rift, throughout the multiverse and fills in all the cracks. The multiverse has been abused by these great beings that it shared its infinite power with and it is time to take it back. In her final moments she sees Freyalise, Windgrace, Multani, and Karn all with her, ready to support her in this final act. Jeska, Thrice Touched by Infinity is touched once more.

Good-bye Karn, she thought. Any good I have ever done was because of you.

...Beyond the Blind Eternities...

Jeska floats full of warmth and comfort and a voice calls out to her.

You did it, a deep voice said. Well done, Sister.

She tells Kamahl that she missed him and he says he's been waiting. They hug and she knows they never have to be apart again.

* * *

Too Perfect

This ending was too perfect for me. I'm one-hundred percent sure I could have done without that last bit with Jeska meeting Kamahl in the afterlife.

Beyond that, I think I could have stood for the ending to be a little bit less specific. If it allowed the audience to come to the realization that not only are Radha and Venser representations of different aspects of a planeswalker, but that they're also counterparts to the beings that merged with her to make up Karona herself.

It's just one of those types of endings that is too tidy.

The difficulty here is that sometimes endings that reveal all sorts of connections feel brilliant, and I have no idea why some work and some don't. It's something I'll be more reflective on in the future, and maybe someday I'll be able to understand where that difference comes from.

(The answer could simply be that Jeska's feelings of doubt and insecurity never clicked with me.)

One more chapter. Maybe epilogue will help throw some dirt on the ending. Give it a bit of a broken in and comfortable feeling and wipe away some of this excessive polish.